Liu Huanhua

Early career

Liu became involved in the sport of weightlifting in Chenzhou at the age of 13, where he was soon identified and drafted by the coach of the Tianjin weightlifting team.^[5]

His first recorded appearance was at the 2018 China Youth Championships, competing in the men's 77 kg class. He finished first in both the snatch and clean and jerk, winning a gold medal.^[6]

In 2021, Liu advanced to the men's 81 kg class at the 14th National Games of China held in Shaanxi. His performances resulted in a third-place finish overall.^[7]

2022-2023

The subsequent year saw Liu further increasing his weight class to the men's 89 kg, where he competed in the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships held in Bogotá. He finished in sixth place in the snatch event and third in the clean and jerk, culminating in an overall bronze medal finish.^[8]

In 2023, Liu continued his upward trajectory in weight class, participating in the men's 96 kg category at the 2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Jinju. His performances resulted with an overall first-place finish, earning him a gold medal. This was achieved through securing first place in the snatch and second place in the clean and jerk. Of note was his 89.48 kg bodyweight, which gave most of his competitors a body weight advantage.^[9]

Liu then made another jump in weight class for the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships in Riyadh, moving into the men's 102 kg. He ranked fourth in the snatch and first in the clean and jerk, ultimately resulting in an overall gold medal and marking his first world championship victory.^[10]

Liu again, made another jump in weight class for the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, moving up to the men's 109 kg category. He ranked second in the snatch and first in the clean and jerk, getting a gold medal in the total. He weighed in at 100.8 kg making him eligible to compete in the 102 kg class but the Asian Games used the former Summer Olympic categories, thus forcing him to move up to a class in to the 109's. His lifts of 233 kg in the clean & jerk and 418 kg in the total would break the world standards and would set new world records but since he competed in the 109's his records would not be recorded in the 102's.^[11]

After yet another gain in bodyweight to compete in the 110 kg category, Liu managed to snatch 190 kg, a personal best, for gold at the 2026 Asian Championships. He also attempted a clean & jerk world record at 239 kg, which was declared a no lift due to press out. Nonetheless, his personal best total of 420 kg made him asian champion yet again.^[12]